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Vernon's family moved to Kiev, when his father died in 1913, and Vernon enrolled in the Conservatory. Serge Prokofiev became his best friend, and he started lessons with Serge's teacher, Reinhold Gliere. The Dukelskys escaped to Odessa during the February Revolution. They had a hazardous trip to Constantinople in 1920. The Captain was drunk and the compass was broken. Two American sailors got the ship safely to harbor. Vernon continued with his music, while in Constantinople, and it was here that he began to study the music of George Gershwin. When, in 1921, Vernon arrived in New York, he gained an interview with Gershwin, who encouraged him. Duke continued to write both Classical and Popular music. He used the name Dukelsky for his Classical compositions (and Poetry) and Vernon Duke for his popular songs. He did write a orchestral overture and a piano concerto, but basically, he supported himself with a number of menial jobs including conducting a burlesque house orchestra, and writing music for nightclub and vaudeville acts. In 1924, Vernon traveled to Paris. He wrote a ballet for Serge Diaghilev, "Zepher et Flore", which played Monte Carlo in 1925. He met conductor Serge Koussevitzky who both published several of Vernon's works as well as using his orchestra to introduce Duke's first two sypmphonies, several short works, and some concerti. In 1925, Duke sailed for London, where he was commissioned (by Chas. Cochran) to write a stage musical score. It was never produced, but 6 of his tunes were interpolated into the London presentation of a Viennese Operetta, "Yvonne". He also wrote the score for the London musical 'The Yellow Mask'. This Edgar Wallace show had a 17 month run. These plays represent Duke's first presentation of popular show music.
Brief Chronology:
1929 Duke returns to New York. He begins to write Broadway
musicals and for Paramount Films, in Astoria, NY.
1930 "I'm Only Human After All", lyric E.Y.Harburg and Ira
Gershwin. for 3rd edition of the 'Garrick Gaities'
(Duke's First Broadway Musical )
"Too, Too Divine", lyric by E. Y. Harburg. Also for the
'Garrick Gaieties'.
1930 "Talkative Toes", lyric by Howard Dietz, for show 'Three's a
Crowd'.
1931 "Muchacha", lyric E.Y.Harburg, for show 'Shoot The Works'.
1932 "Let Me Match My Private Life With Yours", Lyric
E.Y.Harburg. For the Broadway show, Americana.
1932, Vernon writes his first full Broadway score for the Beatrice
Lille revue 'Walk A Little Faster'. This show had the songs:
"April In Paris" with the lyric of E.Y.Harburg. (Duke's first
big hit song) and "A Penny For Your Thoughts", Harburg lyric.
1934 "Autumn In New York", Both Music and Lyric by Vernon Duke.
For the Broadway show 'Thumbs Up'.
1934-'35-'36 During these 3 years, he wrote score for 'The Show Is On',
("Now" was the main hit, lyric by Ted Fetter).
1934s ballet "Jardin Public", (from a scenario by Andre Gide),
concertos ("Dedicaces [Posviashcheniia]") and
oratorios ("The End of St. Petersburg," perhaps his most challenging
composition).
1934 Wrote the score for the 'Ziegfeld Follies of 1934', lyrics
by E. Y. "Yip" Harburg.
"What Is There To Say"
"I Like the Likes of You".
1935 Wrote the score for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, with
lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
"I Can't Get Started With You", and later contributed
"I Can't Get Started",
"An Island in the West Indies", and
"That Moment of Moments" as well.
1935 Wrote the Ballet, Public Gardens
meantime, as Dukelsky he continued working on
1937 George Gershwin, who had been working in Hollywood on the
'Goldwyn Follies', died suddenly of a brain tumor. Sam
Goldwyn, called on Vernon to complete the score. (Vernon
wrote 2 ballets - choreographed by Balanchine - and a
song "Spring Again" with lyric by Ira Gershwin.)
1940 Wrote the score for Broadway play 'Cabin In The Sky',
starring Ethel Waters. Among the songs were:
"Taking a Chance On Love", lyric by John La Touche and Ted
Fetter. Ethel stopped the show every night with this song.
"Honey in the Honeycomb"
"Love Me Tomorrow".
1941 Wrote the score for show Banjo Eyes, with Eddie Cantor.
1944 Wrote the score for show 'Sadie Thompson', an adaptation of
Somerset Maugham's book, 'Rain'.
1944-45 Duke served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He wrote the score
for the Coast Guard revue called, 'Tars and Spars',
which starred then unknown Sid Caesar.
1946 Wrote the Ballet, 'Washerwoman's Ball'
1952 Wrote score for 'Two's Company', starring Bette Davis.
1957 Wrote two songs (and some background music) for a Helen
Hayes show, Jean Anouilh's 'Time Remembered'.
1957 Wrote the Ballet, 'Emperor Norton', for the San Francisco
Ballet Company
1957 Vernon married Kay McCracken, who had studied with Lotte
Lehmann. They settled in Pacific Palisades, CA.
1960 His memoir 'Passport to Paris' appeared in print, as well as
dozens of articles in both English and Russian.
.
1961 Wrote the Ballet, 'Lady Blue', for Roland Petit.
1962 Duke published his first book of poetry, "Epistles".
1966 "Anima Eroica (Ode to St. Brigitte)" was Duke's last major
completed work.
Duke was also a director of the Society for Forgotten Music (Div. of Contemporary Records). The society unearthed long forgotten classical compositions.
Vernon Duke died during a lung cancer operation on January 16, 1969. He is a member of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.
Dunning served in the U. S. Navy during WW2, and upon his discharge, he re-joined Columbia Pictures. In Hollywood Duning worked on over 168 films as either an adaptor, orchestrator, arranger, musical director or composer, including such films as "Let No Man Write My Epitaph", "My Sister Eileen", "Houseboat", "That Touch of Mink", and "Bell, Book and Candle." He was twice nominated for Academy Awards; - for scoring the movies "Picnic" and "From Here to Eternity." He later wrote the music for several television series including "Star Trek", "The Big Valley" and "Naked City." His spouse was 'Marie Duning' (possibly Lois Marie Dunning), and they remained happily together until Duning's demise at age 92. He was survived by his wife and their two daughters.
In 1933, he composed the song "Inka Dinka Doo", a song which was closely identified with Jimmy for the rest of his life. Jimmy died in California at age 87. Ethel Merman and a whole host of stars attended his funeral.
Other composers and lyricists who worked on the 1933 film "I'm No Angel", included
For the 1933 early "talkie" film 'Going Hollywood" (starring Bing Crosby and Marion Davies) Gladys, together with Con Conrad, Russ Columbo, and Paul Gregory wrote the lyric to "You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)", - a huge hit for singer Russ Colombo "You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)" I can't forget the night I met you. That's all I'm Dreaming of. And now you call it madness. But I call it love. You made a promise To be faithful By all the stars Up above. Now you call it madness. But I call it love. My heart is beating.It keeps repeating For you constantly. You're all I'm needing, So I am pleading, Please come back to me. You made a plaything Out of romance. And what were you Thinking of. For now you call it madness. But I dall it love. On Monday, April 24, 1939, Hollywood newspapers reported that cinema tough-guy Robert Armstrong, 42, sued Hollywood song writer; Gladys Dubois Armstrong, for Divorce. on grounds of mental cruelty, and his wife's insistence that they live in Mexico..
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